Realize
by Asylum Survivor
Summary: She was in love with him but he did not see her. Ichihime. Reviews would be lovely. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not Bleach. Tite Kubo owns the wonderful world of Bleach. If I did own Bleach, it would either be: A) Dark, filled with gore and sex, and lots of Grimmhime or some other equally dark pairing. Or B) Adorable, thoughtful, fluffy, and LOTS OF Ichihime.**

**Info:**

**Title: Realize**

**Summary: She was in love with him, but he didn't see her.**

**Pairing: Orihime/Ichigo**

**Now on to the story!**

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**ORIHIME**

I wish on everything. Dandelions, fallen eyelashes, even 11:11. When I was little, I would wish for toys or friends but as the years passed, I weaned away from the trivial things. I wished for the one thing I wanted for the past four years.

I wanted my best friend to finally see me for me, not the girl he's known since we were in diapers, but the girl who's loved him for who he is.

It's one of those days at the end of summer. There's a slight rustle in the breeze, and you can hear the laughter in the air. School's just around the bend. Every night before you go to bed, you cross off the date, counting the days until the start of something new.

I pull out the grass and lift out a handful. I giggle and pelt my best friend, Ichigo Kurosaki with the grass in my hands. He shields himself by bringing an arm up to his face and tries to block my attack.

"What was that for?" He asks, defending himself from further ambushes. He tries to sound mad, but he fails as he breaks out into laughter. I laugh, too and our happiness melds into harmony.

"You got lost again," I explain to him.

Ichigo smiles at me, the kind of smile that you can see in their eyes and you feel it in your heart.

I try not to blush so I busy myself by singing a song to myself softly and twiddle with the hem of my dress.

I catch Ichigo out of the corners of my eyes as he watches me with his warm honey eyes.

"You should sing more often." He comments.

I look up. "Me sing? In your dreams, fan boy." I roll my eyes. "And what were you thinking bout that got you so carried away?" I scoff at the last sentence.

"School." He answers, lying down next to me. He's so close that his honey blond hair is touching my knees. He stares at the sky like he is waiting for someone to come visit him.

"You think about school?"

"You know what I mean. We're sophomore now. Time flies when you're not paying attention. I got my license already. Wow."

"Speaking of driving, don't forget to pick me up on Monday." I remind him, swatting his head.

He looks up at me, his light brown eyes gleaming, and he flashes me a lopsided grin. The one that is reserved for me and the one that makes my heart melt.

"I won't, Hime." He pulls on a loose strand of my chestnut hair.

And that's all I'll ever be to him, Hime. His best friend and nothing more.

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**Second Bleach story! Yes! I am on a roll. LOL. Any way... so review, maybe?**

**~A  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Bleach. But I do have some Clorox somewhere in the laundry room *ambles off to find it* **

**This following chapter was inspired by "Shug" by Jenny Han and Realize by Colbie Caillat.**

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**ORIHIME**

The next day rolls around with added heat and humidity. Who knew that it would be this hot in September?

I wake up later than usual, allowing myself to sleep in because school doesn't start until next week. I pull my phone out from underneath my pillow and look at the time.

Oh God. It's 11 AM. I throw the pink covers off of me and in a rush; I grab random clothes and slip them on. I snatch my backpack and I run out the door and get on my sky blue and white cruiser bike.

I bike down the road, checking my watch every few minutes to see how much time I have left.

Why am I flipping out? Because if I don't get to YMCA on time, Coach Aberdeen's going to kill me. I'm on the swim team and believe you me; it's a lot worse than you think.

When I reach the building, I drop my bike off somewhere and run into the pool, barely on time. I dive in to the pool as quickly as I can and when I roll over to my side to take a breath, I see Coach Aberdeen scrutinizing me with her true grey eyes, unlike mine, and she's watching my every move.

This is worse than getting yelled at.

* * *

After practice and after all my little errands, I realize it's half past five when I finally reach home.

There's not a lot you can do here in Karakura Town but time passes pretty quickly when you're not looking.

Karakura is one of those towns where everyone is knitted together. Everybody is connected somehow or another.

If you go past the senior high school, you can hear the whispers of the Promised Land. College. It's our only escape.

Once you leave Karakura Town, you never come back.

* * *

I quickly park my bike outside of my apartment and check my voicemail when I head inside. While I'm fixing a makeshift supper, a new message pops up.

It's Ichigo telling me to come over in a couple of hours and he reminds me to wear something nice.

Something nice? Do I even own anything nice? I ransack my closet and come out with a white dress, but what if I have to sit on the grass? A dress isn't a wise choice.

I search more and come out with something worse. Skimpy shorts. Ugh, no. I can't decide on anything.

Miraculously, I set my mind on a pair of lace tap shorts I had bought the other day. I pair it with an indigo oversized t-shirt and oxfords. I check my phone and it's almost 7:30. So I head out. Ichigo lives about 4 blocks down, so I walk the distance.

When I reach his house, it is empty. No one is in there. I ring the doorbell and I try to open the door after no one answers. The door creaks open. I step over the threshold and into the corridor. The corridor leads to the kitchen and behind the small dining table; there is a sliding glass door. I see movement on the patio, so I head towards the deck.

I open the sliding door and see that the whole deck is transformed into a late summer evening wonderland. There's a table set for two and there are twinkle lights and paper lanterns strung up in the trees.

It looks absolutely magical.

Ichigo's voice shakes me out of my wonderment. I turn towards his voice and see him ruffling his messy blond hair. He's in a heather navy V-neck t-shirt and scruffy dark jeans. The dark colors suit him. He's wearing black Converse on his feet.

"So you found it, huh?" He laughs. He takes my hand and sits me down on a chair.

"Ichigo, you didn't have to, I mean…" I start, but I am cut off when he hands me a jewel case without a CD in it.

"What's this?" I ask.

The jewel case's cover has a drawing of two stick figures holding hands. One's a boy with brown eyes and shaggy honey blond hair and the other's a girl with grey eyes and long chestnut hair.

It's us.

"Happy Birthday, Orihime." He simply says. He presses a button on a small remote and music pours out from the trees.

The songs are slow and gentle. It brings me to happy places. During our dinner, we laugh; we talk, and get lost in each other's eyes. He takes my hand many times.

A new song comes on just as we are finishing our meal. It's one of my favorites and Ichigo knows it. He gives me a grin and he stands up.

He walks over to my side and offers me his hand.

"May I have this dance?" He asks me formally.

I giggle. "Yes, you may." I take his hand and he pulls me into him.

We dance. He spins me around and I laugh with delight. The songs get faster and suddenly I am tired. I want to sit down.

The music changes to a slower song, one meant for each other to be in an embrace.

Ichigo pulls me closer to him and places his hands on my waist. I wrap my arms around him, hugging him, and I bury my head into his shoulder. We stand there like that, slowly moving in a circle, not quite dancing, but not staying idle either.

"_What's the time, what's the place, go and leave me out."_ The music twinkles softly in the background.

For a moment, time slows down and all we can hear is each other's hearts beating.

I feel his lips brush over my hair and I hear him murmur into my ear, "I love you."

I don't want this moment to end, but I look up to meet his gaze.

All I see are his sepia-toned eyes and the distance between us gets smaller and smaller to the point that our lips are touching.

I take the plunge.

I smile against his lips and whisper, "I love you, too."

He leans in and seals gap between us.

**THE END**

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**Well... that was the end. How'd you like it? Was it too short? Did I rush it? At least it's a happy ending.**

**~A**

**Additional Info:**

**Song: Soft Shock - Yeah Yeah Yeahs**

**Inspirations: Shug by Jenny Han, Realize by Colbie Caillat, Collect Call by Metric**


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